Ink Master keeps surprising with the human canvases they find. Where do you find this many people who all want cherubs?
This week, the flash challenge did not have anything to do with welding or chainsaw carving. For a change it was just simply tattooing. Well, simple might be understating it. Each team had to tattoo at the same time, the same stencil, on two different people’s… ears. And once again, the goal was that it looks like the same artist has done both lobes.
This week’s theme – Technical Application
As usual, the flash challenge is part one of the re-initiation of the new team joining that week. And this time around, it’s not one but two veterans coming in to stir up the pot – Seasons 2 and 7 respectively, Lalo Yunda and Picasso Dular. Representing Brooklyn-based studio House of Monkey, both Lalo and Picasso were eliminated on the basis of their technical application. During this challenge, they received very similar critiques. Lalo’s looked a little more solid, but “scratchy” was once again used to describe Picasso’s work.
Oh, heavenly day!
In week four we finally get to see all the artists tattoo individually, but on the same canvas, at the same time. And since they’re testing technical application, what better subject matter than chubby, curly-haired, winged statues? Yes, there were nine people who wanted not one but two cherubs tattooed on them. And one girl actually wanted four! I mean, I’m not judging, but that’s a lot of winged babies.
Another first was Artistic Skin Designs getting bashed for their work after winning tattoo of the day twice in a row. To be fair, they had tough luck with a canvas not really wanting cherubs but more Gothic style teenagers. Or at least that’s what she ended up with.
Going out with a Bang from Ink Master
However, it was Tri-Cities Tattoo who got the worst of it. After a couple of times already at the bottom, two unpleasing tattoos with a lot of blow outs was the last straw for the team from Atlanta. Even though they were not the only ones with blowout problems, the overall quality of Bang and Danger Dave’s work did not come up to par.
Anyone who’s watched the previous episodes can agree that this was not a big surprise. Not because either of them is a bad artist, but because their teamwork lacked from the start. They said it themselves and then the judges said it too during critiques – they seemed to compete between the two of them, rather than trying to take on the real competition.
With eight years of practice for Dave and less than five for Bang, they know they have a lot to learn still. But their ambition is obvious. Bang is aiming to take colour tattooing to the next level with her illustrative realism, while Danger Dave strives to give skin depth and dimension without bounding himself to a particular style.
It was not a great note to leave on, but there was progress after all. A few weeks in, they finally managed to work together and it showed, despite the shortcomings. So, going back to Georgia with that in mind, we expect to hear more good things about the artists and their shop in the future.
